The decision to leave Sanju Samson out of the 15-man ODI squad chosen for the tour to Australia that starts October 19 as the backup wicketkeeper has been criticized by former India chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth.
Samson was a potential replacement for lead wicket-keeper KL Rahul because Rishabh Pant was sidelined due to injury. However, Dhruv Jurel received his first ODI call-up for the three-match series that starts in Perth in two weeks after the Kerala batsman was overlooked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
Interestingly, Samson had scored a century in his last ODI — the series decider against South Africa in late 2023 — but has not featured in the format since.
Srikkanth bemoaned the choice to leave out Samson, claiming that since he was higher up the hierarchy, the 30-year-old should have been given the first chance.
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“Again very unfair. Sanju should have been there, considering he scored a century in his last ODI. So everyday the reason keeps changing for each individual. One day you make him bat at 5, then another day you make him open. Sometimes you send him at 7 or 8. How did Dhruv Jurel suddenly come in? Sanju may or may not feature in the 11 but he has to be given the first right of refusal,” said Srikkanth on YouTube.
Agarkar told reporters in Ahmedabad on Saturday that the choice of batting positions was what swung the argument in Jurel's favor when it came to the exclusion of Samson.
“It’s more (due to) position (that he’s not in the squad). I mean, Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order. I think when he got a hundred, I think he batted number three, if I’m not wrong. Jurel usually bats low down the order. KL bats there as well. You’ve seen how good a player Dhruv is. So again, you’re looking at spots. I don’t think there’s room at the top again. So we’re looking at guys who can fit in those spots."
“And obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there and we’re trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else,” remarked Agarkar.
In contrast to Agarkar's remarks, Samson has recently played in the middle order in Asia Cup Twenty20 Internationals, switching between positions three and as low as No. 8 during the winning campaign in the United Arab Emirates. Mostly batting further down the order, Samson has amassed 347 runs in 11 innings between Nos. 4-6, averaging 57.83 with three half-centuries, while holding a 56.66 average in 16 ODIs.
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